Posts Tagged ‘recruitment’

Ruder Finn London is looking for a sharp, digitally aware and ambitious senior account executive to work across a range of corporate, technology and consumer clients. This is a fantastic opportunity with a rapidly growing agency that has some of the world’s most prestigious business brands on its client list - and some of the hottest properties in the digital and technology space. From SMART TV to social marketing, high-level business consultancy to swarm robots, our client list offers the successful applicant a fantastic opportunity to work across a range of different campaigns.

At Ruder Finn we believe that the best people usually have the widest experience and that’s why we don’t pigeonhole our employees. This is a great opportunity to work on a broad range of accounts that will include major campaigns for global giants and includes B2B and consumer technology, professional services, brand reputation and digital/ social campaigns among others.

What we are looking for
2+ years agency experience
Strong writing skills
An excellent media contact book
A good understanding of (and active interest in) the social/ digital space
Confident and ambitious
A strong team player
Flexible

The global population is rapidly ageing; by 2020, about 719.4m people - 9.4% of the world’s inhabitants - will be 65 or more, compared with 477.4m (7.3%) in 2005.  We constantly hear about the strain this is putting on healthcare systems, pensions and the economy generally as we struggle to support a growing number of retired people but what about those people that don’t want to retire at 65 or, in today’s credit crunch, have found they can’t afford to?

Last night’s Dispatches addressed the issue of ageism amongst employers and recruiters. It seems older workers are more likely to lose their jobs and fail to secure another position frequently being told that they are ‘overqualified’ for the roles they are applying for.  The programme  followed the stories of people forced to retire at 65 by their employers, thanks to the Default Retirement Age introduced in 2006, and those who when made redundant later in life - some as young as 50 - struggled to even get recruiters to register them never mind get in front of prospective employers.  It made compelling but depressing viewing.  It seems we no longer value experience rather we see people of a certain age as a liability believing that they will be less driven or enthusiastic and take more time off work than their younger counterparts.  This of course is often not the case.  B&Q and Asda are among the few companies that have recognised the potential of older workers but how many of us would like to be told that our only work option is to take a lower paid job on a checkout purely because of our age?

What constitutes being an older worker can also be determined by the industry you are in.  Apparently, the average age of staff at The Times top 100 companies is 34. This made me think about my own industry.  I would hazard a guess that the average age of agency communications consultants is around 35 with the majority of staff being in their 20s.  A common topic of conversation is ‘what happens to people over 40 in our industry?’.  I’m not sure I know the answer but, until we find the fountain of youth, perhaps it is time we reconsider our attitudes towards older workers and see the value in balancing the enthusiasm and adaptability of a young workforce with keeping and attracting a few more experienced grey hairs.

Personally, I hope to be retired and travelling the world at 65 but I’d like to have the choice…

Apologies in advance for the shameless job ad dressed up as a blog pitch…it is naughty but needs must

Anyway, after some fabulous new client wins in the corporate and technology division, we are looking for a couple of lovely new people to come and join us in 2009.  The roles currently open are for:

– an associate director (part time / contractor / permanent)

–a senior account executive

If you have a good business head on your shoulders, are full of ideas, love pitching/presenting/networking/writing and have a contact book that is straining at the seams, you could be just the kind of person we are looking for.

You’ll need a passion for technology, an outstanding manner when dealing with clients and the media and love to immerse yourself in a hot bubbly bath of digital aceness every day….

Does this sound like you? Get in touch…..

PR remains one of the most popular graduate career choices in the UK and here at Ruder Finn, for every graduate we hire, there are another 40 who are disappointed. Despite this intense competition, gone are the days when graduates were willing to tolerate a few lean years to gain experience. It seems that increasingly graduates want it all and they want it now.

When things get tough in business, graduate recruitment appears to be an easy target for cost cutting and this is a situation that is causing a few sleepless nights among the class of 2009. In reality, this is a short-sighted approach.  Graduate recruitment is not about filling immediate vacancies and meeting immediate needs, it is a longer-term investment in the business and the industry in general, ensuring a steady supply of SAEs and AMs a few years down the line.